'Writing Inspired by an Island in the Atlantic'

It has been a distressing week in Gran Canaria. A major fire broke out in the heavily forested centre of the island, which is in an area that we often visit. It is a region that few tourists can be bothered to visit, for which residents are grateful, since not only is it an area of spectacular natural beauty, but an area of peace and tranquillity. It is well away from the pressures of the modern world, the sun beds, fast food restaurants and bars in the busy tourist area in the south of the island.

‘Letters from the Atlantic’ - Article Withdrawn

This article has now been published in Barrie’s latest book ‘Living in Spain and the Canary Islands, and is withdrawn from this website.

The phone rang; it was a colleague in Las Palmas telling me that the police were in the middle of a response to a potential terrorist incident in the city. A suspect package had been placed in front of the door to the garage of the central offices of the National Police on the island. The building was sealed off, traffic was prevented from entering the road, and anti-terrorist officers arrived to assess the potential danger of the package. These officers quickly discovered that this was a false alarm, and since the suspicious package turned out to contain nothing more lethal than an antique typewriter, the panic was over.

‘Letters from the Atlantic’ - Article Withdrawn

This article has now been published in Barrie’s latest book ‘Living in Spain and the Canary Islands, and is withdrawn from this website.

It was a pleasant surprise this week to read that the Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is visiting South Korea to exchange ideas and experiences about policies on public transport, and a range of other issues. It makes a pleasant change to read positive news about South Korea, rather than depressing and unpleasant rhetoric, sabre rattling and threats between their neighbour, North Korea, and the United States.

‘Letters from the Atlantic’ - Article Withdrawn

This article has now been published in Barrie’s latest book ‘Living in Spain and the Canary Islands, and is withdrawn from this website.

Newly arrived expats living in Spain and the Canary Islands will quickly learn that expat lives are punctuated with fiestas to celebrate the life of a particular saint or a special period in Spanish and Canarian history. Despite the irritation that fiestas can creep up on the unsuspecting expat, ruining plans to go shopping or to visit the bank, they are an intrinsic part of Spanish life and the wise expat soon learns to join in with the moment.

‘Letters from the Atlantic’ - Article Withdrawn

This article has now been published in Barrie’s latest book ‘Living in Spain and the Canary Islands, and is withdrawn from this website.

It is often fascinating to discover some of the remedies and answers to problems that can be found by looking at the past. If we look carefully, we often find answers to many present day problems, and how our ancestors dealt with the inconveniences of life. I discovered this recently when looking at a tree on the small island of El Hierro.

‘Letters from the Atlantic’ - Article Withdrawn

This article has now been published in Barrie’s latest book ‘Living in Spain and the Canary Islands, and is withdrawn from this website.